Our Archives

City of Parramatta Council Archive Collection

Parramatta’s Council Archive holds important records that document the history of our local government. Holdings include: rate books, valuation records, plans, maps, photographs and other records created by Council as part of its business operations. The present Council began in 1861 and most records date from 1862.

Records in the Archive date from 1846, the earliest surviving minute book from Parramatta’s first municipal government, and include the records of the other preceding councils that are now all part of the City of Parramatta Council.

The Council Archivist can be contacted on 8839 3325

Have an Enquiry?

If you have a specific interest or enquiry we suggest searching this site first. If you have no luck please feel free to ask us directly using our research enquiry form.

Accessing the Archives

In NSW, access to records more than 30 years old is a public right and you are welcome to arrange to use this nationally significant collection. Access to the records is by appointment only….

More About Council and it's Archives

This council is an amalgamation of five electoral areas known as Wards: North Rocks, Epping, Parramatta, Dundas and Rosehill. The Archives holds the surviving records of these councils, including records dating back to the beginning of Parramatta Municipal Council in 1861.

Building Registers, Rate and Valuation Books

Building Registers, Rate and Valuation books contain information that can help in researching house histories, urban growth and family histories.

Minutes to the Meetings of Council

The Archives holds the minutes to Parramatta Council from 1861 as well as the other councils that amalgamated with Parramatta Council in 1948 and in 2016. These give details of the decisions and activities of the Council. They illustrate the physical development of the area as well as social changes in the community.

Posts from the Archive Collections

The bestowing of a ‘Key to the City’ to an individual or group is intended to confer trust and honour. The tradition is derived from medieval times, when an actual key was given to the gates of a walled city which were guarded during the day and locked at night. The...

Cover of a Register of Alienation Notices (Source: City of Parramatta Council Archives) Alienation notice is not a term often used or heard of in relation to records. In it's legal sense the word "alienation" refers to the transfer of title to real property whether...

Lord Mayor Bob Dwyer 2019 – present day City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Bob Dwyer was elected at a Council meeting on Monday 23 September 2019, with Councillor Michelle Garrard named Deputy Lord Mayor. Lord Mayor Dwyer, a representative for the North Rocks Ward, was...

“The Hut” by Nell Gawthorne, held in the City of Parramatta Cultural Collections Artwork Collection (Acc no. 2006.175) During World War Two, community organisations and local councils across Australia were instrumental in providing recreational opportunities in...

Image of Horwood Street Car Park, Parramatta, c. early-1980s. Source: City of Parramatta Council Archives Photographic Collection Over the years, the City of Parramatta Council has taken many photos to record its events, activities, buildings and achievements. One of...

Commuters in Sydney wearing masks during the influenza pandemic, 1919. Image: The Australian A global pandemic reaches Australia In November 1918, as peace was declared and the guns of the First World War fell silent, people across the world began to succumb in great...